10 FAQs about PRN Med-Surg RN Jobs
The largest nursing specialty is the one that most needs registered nurses (RNs).
In particular, hospital medical-surgical units are spending a large portion of their staffing budget on contracting PRN RNs to fill med-surg jobs.
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the medical/surgical nursing specialty and learn how to find PRN med-surg RN jobs.
1. What Is Medical-Surgical Nursing?
Medical-surgical nursing is the largest nursing specialty in the United States. Med-surg nurses care for patients with various medical issues or those preparing for or recovering from surgery.
In medical terms, medical-surgical nursing refers to a type of care, not a specific setting. Nurses provide med-surg care in numerous healthcare settings, including hospitals, outpatient care settings, long-term care facilities, telemedicine, and home health.
Many consider med-surg jobs entry-level positions that will allow them to move on to other acute care specialties. However, this is a myth, as nowadays, RNs can usually start in the areas they are interested in straight out of nursing school.
Med-surg nursing is a specialty in itself. For many nurses, it’s a lifelong career. Furthermore, those who wish can pursue specialty certifications in medical-surgical nursing.
2. Where Can Med-Surg RNs Find Jobs?
Medical/surgical RNs can work in numerous settings.
However, approximately 60 percent of RNs work in hospitals. Med-surg units have the majority of hospital beds. Therefore, most RNs providing medical-surgical nursing care work in hospital medsurg units.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the following data shows the percentage of RNs employed in different settings. RNs provide medsurg nursing care in all these settings:
- General medical and surgical hospitals: 30.61%
- Specialty hospitals (except psychiatric and substance abuse): 22.42%
- Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals: 17.40%
- Outpatient care centers: 15.39%
- Home healthcare services: 11.21%
3. How Do RN Duties in Med-Surg Differ from Other Settings?
Med-surg is arguably the most diverse healthcare setting.
Med-surg nurses see patients with a variety of conditions. Therefore, med-surg differs from specialties focusing on a single condition or patient population, such as oncology. That said, medsurg nurses may occasionally care for cancer patients, which shows how broad the scope of med-surg nursing is.
So, what does a med-surg nurse do?
Another factor that determines a nurse’s duties is the level of acuity of patients. For example, nurses in intensive care units (ICUs) must monitor patients much more frequently than nurses in med-surg. The difference in acuity can also be seen in the equipment nurses typically use. Med-surg nurses frequently use IV pumps, patient-controlled analgesia pumps, and cardiac monitors. ICU nurses often use ventilators, intra-aortic balloon pumps, or continuous renal replacement therapy machines.
4. What Are the Steps to Becoming a Med-Surg RN?
An aspiring registered nurse typically completes one of the following degrees: an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). ADNs last two to three years, and BSNs usually take four years.
Candidates must also pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
RN candidates may have to meet additional requirements, such as criminal background checks, depending on the state.
After meeting these general and state-specific requirements, candidates receive their RN licenses and are ready to find jobs. New grad RNs can typically find jobs in med-surg without previous experience.
5. What Is the Difference between a Medsurg RN and LPN?
Licensed practical or vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs) have a lower level of licensure than RNs. They have completed practical or vocational nursing programs. These typically take one year to complete.
Like RNs, LPNs must pass the NCLEX to obtain licensure. However, the NCLEX-PN is specifically designed for practical nurses.
Med-surg LPNs perform the tasks assigned by supervising RNs.They carry out basic nursing tasks, such as passing out medication to patients.
In some states, LPNs can start IVs, while others require LPNs to acquire additional certification. On the other hand, all RNs are qualified to start and manage IV lines.
6. What Is Med-Surg Nursing Like? The Good and the Bad
Med-surg is like any other nursing specialty: It has its pros and cons. These benefits and drawbacks are largely subjective since a pro for one nurse could be a con for another.
The advantages of working in med-surg include the following:
- Working with diverse patient populations
- Becoming familiar with numerous health conditions
- Collaborating with experts from many different specialties
- Caring for patients with lower levels of acuity than those in many other hospital units, such as the ICU
- Dealing with fewer patient deaths than other specialties, such as hospice
On the flip side, here are some disadvantages of working as a med-surg RN:
- Caring for more patients at a time than most other hospital units
- Feeling overworked due to understaffing
- Feeling insecure about caring for patients with unfamiliar conditions
7. What’s the Job Outlook for Med-Surg RNs in the US?
Med-surg registered nurses are in great demand.
Due to the ongoing nursing shortage, nurses are in great demand in most settings. The BLS estimates that employment of registered nurses will grow 6 percent from 2023 to 2033. This growth rate is significantly faster than the average for all occupations (4 percent). This 6 percent growth rate translates to approximately 194,500 openings for RNs each year over the decade.
Although RNs are in great demand across the board, the shortage is felt even more acutely in med-surg settings. In part, this is a matter of simple math: Most RNs work in hospitals, and the largest percentage of hospital nurses work in med-surg. Therefore, med-surg feels the nursing shortage most acutely.
8. What’s the Average Med-Surg Nurse Salary?
Nurse salary is hard to generalize since pay varies due to numerous factors.
However, since most med/surg nurses work in hospitals, the average wages for hospital RNs can offer a valuable frame of reference.
According to the BLS, the following are average annual RN wages in different types of hospitals:
- Specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals: $98,220
- General medical and surgical hospitals: $96,830
- Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals: $94,440
The average registered nurse working in a hospital makes more than the mean RN wage, which is $94,480 annually.
9. How Can Med-Surg RNs Make More Money?
Med/surg RNs or other nurses with acute care experience should take advantage of the opportunity to make good money with PRN jobs.
A chief nursing executive interviewed by Becker’s Hospital Review shared that their health system spent more than 70 percent of their agency dollars on med-surg nurses. This indicates that hospitals rely on contingency staff to cover staffing needs in med/surg units.
PRN jobs typically pay significantly higher hourly rates than internal staff positions. Therefore, med/surg RNs can make more money by working PRN jobs.
10. How Can I Find PRN Med-Surg RN Jobs?
Med-surg RNs can find flexibility and competitive pay with Nursa. Nursa is a healthcare staffing platform that connects healthcare facilities with qualified PRN nurses.
After creating their professional profiles, answering some questions, and uploading their nursing credentials for verification, medsurg RNs can search for and request PRN jobs near them. They can choose when and where they want to work and request jobs that meet their financial aspirations.
Sign up with Nursa today and begin picking up PRN med-surg RN jobs on your own terms.
Sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (Registered Nurses)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (Registered Nurses)
- Lippincott NursingCenter: Medical-surgical nurses: Changing lives one patient at a time
- Becker’s Hospital Review: Where are all the med-surg nurses?
